What you need to know about the
TTB’s recall of the Haitian eaux-de-vie
Clairin Casimir rhum is
facing a voluntary recall. One of a select number of clairins—an eaux-de-vie
similar to white agricole rhums—produced in Haiti and distributed in the United
States, the Casimir brand is being recalled due to the presence of lead. The
distributor, MHW,
based in Manhasset, New York, initiated the recall on Wednesday.
The lead discovery came in response to a
consumer complaint placed with the Alcohol and Tobacco Trade and Tax
Bureau (TTB) this summer. “The TTB receives consumer complaints
on a regular basis,” says Tom Hogue, director of Congressional and Public
Affairs for the TTB, all of which they investigate. Some of those complaints
lead nowhere, suggests Hogue, while others end up in a recall. During this
investigation, the TTB obtained a bottle of Clairin Casimir Rum from Vanderbilt
Wine Merchants in Brooklyn, New York, on August 8, and analyzed
it for the presence of prohibited materials. Upon determining that the Casimir
had elevated lead levels of 138 parts per billion, they consulted with the FDA
to determine whether lead at those levels, present within an alcoholic
beverage, met the standard of being a health hazard. On October 9, the TTB sent MHW a letter
requesting their participation in a voluntary recall, which MHW initiated on
October 10.
While the value of 138 ppb sounds
excessive, whether it meets the standard of high risk has—to some extent—to do
with the delivery mechanism. Lead levels in apple juice, for example, which is
commonly consumed by children face a lower threshold than lead levels in
beverages whose consumption is limited to adults, according to the TTB. In
1993, the FDA established
that lead levels should not exceed 80 ppb in juice packed in lead-soldered
cans. Since then, Codex Alimentarius Commission, an
international food standards organization that establishes safe levels for the
protection of consumers, further established a maximum level of 50 ppb for
lead in ready-to-drink fruit juices.
In response to the TTB’s request for analysis, the FDA affirmed that the
lead levels in Clairins Casimir posed a health risk, particularly for women of
childbearing age and for any developing fetus that might be exposed. The TTB’s
October 9 letter explains that, according to the FDA, the blood lead level
(BLL) in pregnant women should be no higher than 5 micrograms per deciliter to
limit lead exposure to a developing fetus, and that 12.5 micrograms of lead per
day would achieve this 5 BLL. Per the FDA’s calculations, the 138 ppb of lead
would result in an intake of 17 micrograms per day. It also stated that lead
and alcohol—which can cause toxicity to the brain of a developing child—could
also be more hazardous in combination than as separate parts. According to Herbert Linge, president of
Berling S.A., the bottler of the Casimir, the company has also tested the rum
and found lead levels to be lower than those reported by the FDA and TTB, and
within acceptable limits. They are currently awaiting additional testing
results from California, where the rum is also in distribution. La Maison & Velier, the importer who first
brought clairin to the U.S. and Italy, had the Casimir tested in Italy and also
found lower lead levels. Those reports have been sent to the TTB.
“The bottles are also completely within
the parameters of European safety, so this is a U.S. recall only,” says Kate
Perry, U.S. market manager for La Maison & Velier. Allowable lead levels in
Europe are 150ppb, therefore, the recall is limited to the U.S. For now, bartenders and retailers should remove any Clairin
Casimir from inventory. MHW is encouraging consumers who have bottles to call 516-869-9170 ext.
306 for instructions on returns and reimbursement.
You can Read More on the Subject
at https://daily.sevenfifty.com/clairin-casimir-rhum-recalled-for-lead-contamination/
